06x20 - End with a Bang

[bunniefuu]

Please don't try anything

that you're about to see us do
at home.

Ever!

NARRATOR: On this episode
of "Mythbusters,"

it's all about you, the viewers.

TORY: This ought to clean out
the pipes.

[Cheering]

NARRATOR:
We take four fan-fueled fables

and apply the blowtorch
of science.

TORY:
Run! It's gonna explode!

NARRATOR: First,
can the fastest-growing plant

on the planet
penetrate a person?

[French accent] Jamie is
imagining himself to be a plant.

NARRATOR:
And will brandy bring you back

from the brink of hypothermia?

I'm going into a delirium.
[Babbles]

NARRATOR: Then, if you mix
alkali metals and water,

will it blow up your bathtub?

[Laughter]

And finally,
will burning a baby grand

- really cause it to explode?
- TORY: Go, go, go, go!

NARRATOR: So, sit back,
drink up, and count backwards...



NARRATOR: Because we're back
to test more of your myths.

[Cheering]

Who are the Mythbusters?

- Adam Savage...
- Hey! Ow!

We will need to bring
some more power.

NARRATOR:
...and Jamie Hyneman.

I'm not so sure
this is a good idea.

NARRATOR:
Between them, more than 30 years

of special-effects experience.

Oh!

NARRATOR:
Joining them... Kari Byron...

Whose hair-ball idea is this?

- NARRATOR: Grant lmahara...
- Hwacha!

NARRATOR:
...and Tory Belleci.

This is gonna be a great day!

NARRATOR: They don't just tell
the myths...

If you say so, Junior.

NARRATOR:
...they put them to the test.

JAMIE: If you've got a myth
for us to test,

we'd love to hear about it.

Here, off the icy waters
of San Francisco Bay,

we have a very rare
opportunity...

to be able to view
a very elusive television host

in his natural habitat...
the Hyneman.

Latin name...
Hoosierus televisualus.

And he seems to be communicating
with his viewers,

asking them for ideas.

And who knew?

Not only did you respond
to the call,

you opened the floodgates
and sent us a gazillion myths.

So we selected
a few of the best to test.

What's up first?

Bamboo t*rture.

- [Breathing heavily]
- You had enough yet?

'Cause I can keep singing
all day long.

I can take
whatever you can throw at me.

JAMIE: All right, then.
Well, how about that, wise guy?

A tiny bamboo plant?

What are you gonna do to me
with that?

I'm gonna plant it and then
grow it right through you.

Really?
Does that work?

I don't know,
but that's the myth,

and I've always
wanted to try it.

NARRATOR:
It's a far-fetched fable

straight from the fan site.

During World w*r I I,

captured POWs
were supposedly stretched above

and then penetrated by
fast-growing bamboo shoots.

Aah!

So, what's your plan
for this one?

It's pretty straightforward,
I think.

We get some kind
of a human analogue.

We get some fast-growing bamboo,

and we plant the bamboo
under the analogue

and see if it grows through it.

Right. Normally,
I'd say we should use pig.

But given the fact that
this is gonna take a few days,

it's gonna get way too smelly.

Well, I tell you what...
Why don't we measure

how much force it takes
to penetrate pig flesh

and then we create a synthetic
simulant that won't rot?

And then put the bamboo
underneath that.

- Exactly.
- [Gong clangs]

[Eastern music plays]

NARRATOR: And so
crouching Savage, hidden Hyneman

begin their long
and arduous search

for the legendary
t*rture technique

in the mystical
bamboo groves of...

...Santa Cruz?

Luckily enough,
we live in California,

where bamboo grows beautifully.

NARRATOR:
And the purveyor

of these potentially
penetrating plants...

[Chuckles]
That's the thing right there.

That'll get you talking.

NARRATOR:
...is Larry Gullman.

JAMIE:
Is a bamboo sh**t

physically capable of pushing
its way through human flesh?

Bamboo shoots in the ground
have to push through the dirt,

around rocks,
through rotten logs.

I've seen bamboo shoots push up
walkway pavers.

So yes, they do push very hard
when they're in the ground.

If you're strapped down
to this...

Oh, I can already feel it.
[Laughs]

So the early signs
are promising.

JAMIE:
That's what we want.

ADAM: And that's due
to the unusual way

in which bamboo grows.

The canes sh**t out from
an underground root system.

And while underground,
the sh**t tips

are extremely tough and sharp

in order to push out
through the soil.

So the question is,
do they have enough force

to push through a human body?

Let's say somebody owed you
money.

What kind of bamboo
would you use?

I think you should use
Spectabilis.

It's sh**ting right now.

It's about an inch in diameter
and very sharp.

NARRATOR: Perfect.

With their potentially
penetrating plants purchased,

there's only one thing left
to do.

Well, we've got our bamboo.

It's time to go back to the shop
and t*rture some dummies.

Okay, so what's our next myth
for the viewer special?

We're doing a myth about metal,
and not just any metal,

but my second favorite metal...
alkali metal.

You mean like rubidium
and cesium.

Exactly.

There's this Internet video
floating around

where these guys throw cesium
and rubidium into a bathtub,

and they liken the expl*si*n
to a hand grenade.

Fans want to know
if that's actually true.

Okay, that's cool.

But instead of bathtubs,
why don't we do toilets?

Like we used to flush the cherry
bombs down in high school.

I wouldn't know anything
about that.

I was too busy
studying chemistry,

but if you want to do that,
by all means, let's do it.

What is this, Opposite Land?

NARRATOR: Hand grenades
and explosions, you say?

Well, that can only mean a trip
to the team's dream location...

the Alameda County Sheriff's
b*mb disposal range.

GRANT:
What are we blowing up today?

TORY:
Toilets, bathtubs.

KARI:
Everything but the kitchen sink.

NARRATOR:
And the reason

the bathroom furniture
is on death row

is the fan furor

over a video clip that looks
a little bit like this.

Anybody got anything to read?

NARRATOR:
After demonstrating

that the reaction between water
and the alkali metals

becomes more violent as you
move down the periodic table,

they get to rubidium.

And with what looks to be
about 2 grams,

they claim to get
a hand-grenade-sized expl*si*n.

So to find out
if this is film fakery or fact,

we're going to need a control.

TORY:
Now, on the Internet video,

they said the reaction was equal
to a hand-grenade expl*si*n.

This ought to clean out
the pipes.

So we need to see
what that looks like

in order to have something
to compare with.

How great is this?
We get to start off with a bang.

We're gonna blow the crap
out of that toilet!

- Get it?
- NARRATOR: Uh, sure.

But Grant and not Tory
will explain

how the team are going to
safely explode the commode.

This is a grenade.

But it's not a live grenade.

In a live grenade,
you'd have TNT in here.

You pull the pin,
the clip pops off,

and this is what would set off
the expl*si*n.

But what we're gonna do today
is fill this with enough C-4

to have the equivalent
blasting power of the TNT.

Then we're gonna set it off
with a blasting cap.

That way, we can control
exactly when it goes off,

and it will be much, much safer.

NARRATOR:
Fire in the bowl!

TORY:


GRANT: Whoa!

The toilet's gone.

NARRATOR:
Yep. Now you see it.

Now you don't.

TORY:
Oh, we blowed it up real good.

GRANT:
That's nice.

[Laughter]

All that's left
is the water tank.

- The bowl just shattered.
- TORY: Yeah.

We destroyed this toilet,
and now I know

what a real grenade looks like
when it goes off.

So now we've got
a great reference

for what it should look like

when we put our alkali metals
in a toilet, in water.

NARRATOR: Used in waterwheels
and weapons...

Aah!

NARRATOR: Construction
and the culinary arts...

as a raw material,

bamboo's versatility
is virtually limitless.

MAN:
In the Philippines,

they call this
the Dance of the Bamboo Pole.

NARRATOR:
But fans want to know

if this flexible,
fast-growing grass

could have been used
as an instrument of t*rture.

Aah!

NARRATOR:
And to find out,

Adam and Jamie need
a human guinea pig to pierce.

But which one?
Hmm...

The whole point of this test

is to come up
with a human analogue.

We've done this on the show
but usually with ballistics.

[Lisping] I don't see
any subcutaneous damage here.

[Normal voice] And this is
a very well-explored field.

Not the slow penetration

of something sharp
like a bamboo plant.

Nobody's done a lot
of figuring on that,

so we have to do it ourselves.

We've got to go to the butcher,
get a big slab of meat...

[Laughs]

...start pushing spikes into it,
come up with readings.

And when we get those readings

as to how much pressure and
resistance the meat provides...

[Chuckles]

...we've got to imitate it
with synthetic materials.

NARRATOR:
Yep, to make a fake torso

with accurate
flesh-like resistance

to a growing bamboo sh**t...

This has got to be the most
gruesome thing I've ever made.

NARRATOR:
...the guys need to know

exactly what that resistance is.

Ah...

[French accent] In pushing
through the meat very slowly,

Jamie is imagining himself
to be a plant.

JAMIE:
What's our peak?

[Normal voice]


NARRATOR:
Several tests later,

and the guys have
a decent sample range...

ADAM:


NARRATOR: And decide to
round up for simplicity's sake.

Well, 10 pounds seems to be
the magic number

with this spike
in penetrating flesh.

So all we got to do is find
a mix of materials around here

that makes a flesh
that doesn't rot and stink.

Our ballistic material.

I think it's perfect.

Let me see what the needle says.

- 10 pounds.
- ADAM: Wow.

That is close enough
for my money. I love that.

- NARRATOR: Next...
- Hello.

NARRATOR: The guys whip up
a rooftop greenhouse...

...and then assemble it,
unsurprisingly...

- Rise, my son!
- NARRATOR: On the rooftop.

Dude, touchdown!
Going in.

JAMIE: This may look nice
and sunny, and it is,

but it's also a t*rture chamber,
or it will be soon.

NARRATOR: So that's
the greenhouse and bamboo

in position, which leaves
just one component.

Oh, you're mine now.

NARRATOR: And the torso
is carefully positioned

above several shoots

that have yet to fully break
through the soil's surface.

ADAM:
This version of Buster

is our final stage of testing
in the bamboo.

Will it grow through a person?

After experimenting with a bunch
of different flesh analogues...

Those are the two growth points.
They're beautiful.

...this ballistics material,
which is non-water-based...

it won't rot...
is the perfect material

in terms of the amount
of pressure it takes

to push through.

So that if the bamboo grows
through this chest,

we can definitively state

that it would grow through you
as well.

Is that it?

- That ought to do it.
- All right.

Well, let's get out of here

and come back in a couple days
and see how it did.

JAMIE: The way I see it, if
the bamboo sh**t works its way

two or three inches
into the back of the dummy,

then it's an effective means
of t*rture.

All we've got to do is wait.

NARRATOR:
Kari, Grant, and Tory

are taking on
an alkali-metal myth.

A video on the Internet claims

that if you add 2 grams
of rubidium or cesium to water,

it'll blow up
your bathroom furniture...

with a hand-grenade-sized
expl*si*n.

This ought to clean out
the pipes.

NARRATOR: To find out
if it's actually true,

we're doing a direct comparison.

This is the hand grenade.

Bring on the alkali metals.

But first,
here's the science-y bit.

This is cesium.

And this is rubidium.

And they're part
of a special class of elements

called alkali metals.

Now, what makes them special
is they have one electron.

Now, normally, what they want to
do is react with other things

and give up that electron.

Now, what happens when the
alkali metals react with water

is they release a lot of heat,

and the other by-product
is hydrogen gas.

And the heat tends to ignite
the hydrogen gas.

It's a perfect storm

of something that causes
an expl*si*n.

NARRATOR: And to put
these highly reactive metals

in contact with water safely,

the team has a couple
of safety precautions lined up.

Pretty simple.
It's a little guillotine.

The weight drops down
onto small glass vials

which are holding the metals,

releasing it into the toilet,
and we'll see what happens.

TORY: In the video,
they said used 2 grams

and they got an expl*si*n
the size of a hand grenade.

Now, we're gonna use 25 grams.

That's more than


So if it's true
what they're saying,

we're gonna have
a huge expl*si*n.

Mayor of Rubidium Town.
Ready?

- TORY: Yep.
- GRANT: Yep.



- TORY: Whoa!
- GRANT: Whoa!

TORY:
That was quick!

Look at that cloud.

NARRATOR: Well, it all went
according to plan.

The string was cut,
and the guillotine fell.

The rubidium was released
into the water,

and cue the chemistry.

The sudden release
of hydrogen gas and heat

combines to give us
a satisfying toilet-bowl geyser.

NARRATOR: But... and here's
the key... it was nothing

like the Internet video
hand-grenade-sized expl*si*n.

Well, we may not have had
hand grenades,

but at least we still have
good chemistry.

NARRATOR:
But we haven't given up yet.

Next up in an attempt
to blow up the bowl is cesium.

GRANT: So this is it.
This is cesium.

This is the most reactive
alkali metal

that we can get our hands on
that's not radioactive.

We're gonna put this
in the toilet bowl

and see if it behaves
when exposed to water,

like a grenade.

Okay.

In 3, 2, 1!

- [All groan]
- Cool.

There was a bit more reaction,
more popping,

but it was just
a big cloud of gas again.

NARRATOR:
More energy, more flame,

but definitely no expl*si*n.

TORY: Now, I feel
like I've been lied to,

because what I saw on that
Internet video was an expl*si*n.

What I saw here
was a cloud of smoke.

Now, a cloud of smoke

is not gonna destroy a toilet
like a hand grenade would.

NARRATOR:
So, Kari, what does that mean?

Which means they faked it,
and this is busted.

NARRATOR: The Mythbusters
are no strangers

to tall tales of t*rture.

After all,
they've already confirmed

that Chinese water t*rture
can send you 'round the bend.

[Voice breaking] I don't
want to do this test right now.

NARRATOR:
But now, at your behest,

they're testing
the power of botany

to bring you to the brink.

And with
the ballistics-material dummy

suspended above
the soon-to-sh**t bamboo,

the clock is ticking.

JAMIE:
I'd imagine that t*rture

is a pretty results-driven
business.

And so we're looking
for a couple of things here.

We're looking
as to whether the sh**t

can actually grow through
this flesh simulant

and also how much time it takes
for it to do that.

And they're both
really important.

Because if it takes
months to do it,

it's not really
an effective means of t*rture.

If it does it
in a couple of hours

or a couple of days, though...

that starts to put it
in the realm of possibility.

NARRATOR: And Jamie's prediction
is spot-on.

Because after just three days,

our tortured torso
is surely ready to talk.

ADAM: Dude!

The bamboo is growing
into our poor dude.

The experiment
could not be going better.

We have already gotten exactly
what we came looking for,

which is at the point
at which bamboo meets flesh,

does it make a left-hand turn
or does it just keep on going?

And it's pretty clear
that it just keeps on going.

Well, you know, I said earlier

that if there was
any penetration at all,

then that's t*rture.

So I say this myth is...

h*!
Let's not call it just yet.

I want to see
how far we can take it.

Let's let it keep on growing.

- Okay.
- [Chuckles]

NARRATOR: But over two weeks
later, the news isn't good.

Despite several other shoots
making their way into the dummy,

Adam's wish to see complete
penetration comes to naught.

ADAM:
Look at that.

They haven't grown an inch
in two weeks.

Those things are dead.

Yeah, and look at that.
The ballistics gel is melted.

It must have got so hot in here.
That's what k*lled him.

We did prove that you could
t*rture somebody with bamboo,

if you were determined.

Yeah, but we didn't see
the bamboo grow

all the way through the guy.

I mean, that was supposed to be
the grand finale.

You know,
we've got one more dummy.

Let's chuck it up there
and see what happens.

Okay.

NARRATOR: So a second
ballistics-material torso...

this time with attractive wig
and facial features...

is taken to the roof,

where the team has set up
a second growing area...

one that's open to the elements.

ADAM: Our dude is set up,
and this is our last chance

to see bamboo
grow through a person.

It's our last mannequin.

It's our last
viable bamboo sh**t,

and it's pretty much
the end of the growing season.

So if it's gonna happen,
it's got to happen here.

NARRATOR:
And what do you know?

Adam's desperation
is well rewarded.

Fast-forward a couple of weeks,

and this time, the results are
nothing short of astounding.

JAMIE: That's what I'd call
a through and through.

[Laughs]

We wanted to know
if the bamboo would grow

all the way through you.

It turns out, not only will it,
but it actually thrives!

This is 12 feet of bamboo,

and it's going
right through this guy's chest.

It doesn't get any more
definitive than that.

I feel like someone's almost
playing an April Fools' joke.

That's so perfect.

JAMIE: Obviously, bamboo
can grow right through you,

like it did over here,

but for this to be a reasonable
method of t*rture...

if you can consider t*rture
reasonable in any sense...

it needs to do it
fairly quickly.

And our time lapse shows
that this penetrated that body

in a matter
of a couple of days or so.

It's possible,
as gruesome as it is.

ADAM:
That is awesome!

Plausible!
And awesome.

Plausible.

Imagine yourself
on the frozen Arctic tundra.

Your sled dogs
have abandoned you,

you've run out of equipment and
food, and slowly you are dying,

your life ebbing away,
minute by minute.

Yeah, okay.
I remember that.

And then, through tear-soaked
eyes, you see relief...

salvation on the horizon
in the form of a Saint Bernard

trotting towards you
with a barrel around his neck.

That barrel is full of brandy.

You take a couple of snorts
of that brandy.

It warms you up
just enough to keep you alive

until the rescue team arrives.

Or this is like an aperitif
before I eat the dog.

You can't say that.

MAN: This brave lifesaver
is a one-man...

or rather a one-dog...
rescue squad.

In fact, that cask
around his neck

is full of brandy that he's
taking to some lost traveler.

NARRATOR: The Saint Bernard and
its barrel of lifesaving brandy

is a famously warm-and-fuzzy
fable that you want answered.

Will the arrival of a keg
on legs really keep you alive?

Or is it...
you knew this was coming...

just a shaggy-dog story?

I've actually heard that
alcohol has the opposite affect

and it cools you down,
not warms you up.

That's strange, because I swear

it has a warming effect
when I drink it.

Should be pretty straightforward
to try.

I think so.
I think all we need to do

is find ourselves
a nice, big freezer,

a way of monitoring
our body temperature,

drink a few shots
of the hard stuff,

and see what kind of change
occurs.

Works for me.

My ears are starting to sting.

NARRATOR: But before the guys
get to test this frosty fable

- in the freezer...
- I'm going into a delirium

of thinking about what I'll do
once I'm warm.

[Chuckles]

NARRATOR:
...Adam's ensuring accurate info

by ingesting a thermometer.

Since this whole test is about

whether or not there's any
change in our body temperature

from the drinking
of the alcohol,

we need to know exactly
what our body temperature is.

And this isn't a thermometer
under the tongue

or one in the ear
or one on the skin.

We need our core
body temperature measured.

We've done this
on the show before

back when I got painted
with gold paint

and I had a rectal thermometer.

Oh, Sanjay.

Sanjay, will you respect me
tomorrow?

[Laughter]

- [Pop]
- Oh! [Laughs]

Neither of us want to do that
this time.

So we're bringing in
a brand-new piece of technology

called a core-body-temperature
capsule.

Here we go.

[Chuckles]

It's basically a passive radial.

It goes into our stomach,

keeps track
of our core body temperature,

and we check in on it with this.

We hold this up to our bodies,
and boop!

It tells us what
our core body temperature is.

And couple days later,
we pass it.

They're disposable!

I ate a radio for science!

NARRATOR:
But that super-accurate

body-temperature thermometer
is not all they'll be using.

The guys are going
for data overload.

We're gonna be doing
some standardized tests

at regular intervals
throughout the day.

Now, the first one
is the core body temperature.

Go ahead and swallow that puppy.

- Mm.
- I know.

JAMIE:
The second one is,

we're gonna check in
on how we actually feel.

On a coldness scale,


and 10 being not cold at all,
where do you stand?

- 8.
- 8.

- You're just a little bit cold?
- Yeah.

The third one is we're gonna be
using a thermal imaging camera

to check our heat signatures
on the exterior of our bodies.

Wow.
You look funny.

[Laughs]
I can see you breathing.

Basic temperature
of your left hand, 94. 1.

NARRATOR:
And so, armed with their battery

of data-gathering equipment
and a warm-weather baseline...

JAMIE:
Tip of the nose, 96 degrees.

NARRATOR: The boys are ready
for the big freeze.

All right. Let's baseline.
Let's get cold.

NARRATOR: Kari, Grant, and Tory
have already busted the myth

that a few grams
of cesium or rubidium

can cause a hand-grenade-sized
expl*si*n.

The Internet is lying again.

NARRATOR:
So now it's time

for the patented
"Mythbusters" ramping up.

We're flushing the toilet.

And to blow up the bathtub,
we're stretching the budget

and moving into the realm
of ridiculous

by using a massive


TORY:
You ready to do this, Grant?

GRANT:
I'm ready to do it.

NARRATOR: And to accommodate
the 2.5 kilograms of sodium...

TORY:
Let's run.

NARRATOR: Kari has adapted
her guillotine.

She's added a sledgehammer.

Which means there's
only one thing left to do.

Find out... for the fans...

if supersizing the sodium
will blast the bathtub.

TORY:
All right, this is sodium.

In 3, 2, 1.

- Oh!
- Oh!

[Laughter]

- TORY: Yeah!
- GRANT: Yeah!

KARI:
Wait, wait, wait.

Oh, my God.
Poisonous gas.

- Ohh!
- Ohh!

NARRATOR: Uh,
while the team holds its breath,

let's check out the replay.

[Laughter]

That was incredible.

NARRATOR: Yep, spectacular,
but it only caused a crack.

The tub didn't disintegrate.

So, how about taking it up
a notch?

TORY:
It's like Christmas.

GRANT:
That was amazing.

But up next is potassium,
which is even more reactive,

and, yep, same amount.

NARRATOR: Uh-huh.


GRANT:
Take it away.

NARRATOR:
School-lab chemistry

like you've never seen it
before.

Okay. We're good.
Let's go.

NARRATOR:
But will it provide the big boom

we and you
have been waiting for?

GRANT:
...2, 1!

- Wow!
- Whoa!

[Laughter]

That was...
That was like fireworks.

GRANT: Wow!

KARI: Wow. That was
the Fourth of July in there.

NARRATOR: Yes, once again, it's
an exciting chemical reaction,

but it's still not
high expl*sives.

[Laughter]

So, in conclusion,

you can use ridiculous amounts
of sodium and potassium.

You can use
the more reactive elements

in the alkali-metal family.

But you won't get
a hand-grenade-sized expl*si*n

and blow up a bathtub
unless you use C-4, like this.

All right, J. D.
In 3, 2, 1!

[Cheering]

Whoo! Nice!

- TORY: Whoa!
- Yeah!

Did you see how high
it shot that water?!

NARRATOR: Yes, the shock wave
emanating from a C-4 detonation

is approximately 8,000 meters
per second,

which is in a different league
to alkali metals in water...

...proving that
that Internet video

is nothing but science fiction.

Adam and Jamie
are about to chill out

to find out
if a shot of brandy...

Good boy.

NARRATOR: Will actually
stave off hypothermia.

- [Dog barks]
- Or is it simply a furry fable?

Since we always want to be
authentic on "Mythbusters,"

Bob here, a Saint Bernard,

is going to be delivering
the brandy to us.

Isn't that right, Bob?

ADAM: We are at the very perfect
place to test this myth...

a company called
Dean's Services.

And they've got


of freezer-cold rooms
at 0 degrees Fahrenheit,

which is the temperature
we're gonna be working at.

NARRATOR:
Remember, Adam and Jamie,

with their
core-body-temperature capsules

already in their stomachs...

- JAMIE: It's cold.
- ADAM: I know!

NARRATOR: Are literally
walking thermometers.

But they'll also be monitoring
their mood

as well
as the surface temperature

of their extremities.

It's weird having a job
where our only task today

is to get cold and then drunk.

NARRATOR: Yep, stage 1 of the
test is to simulate a situation

in which the guys
will need rescuing

by a brandy-carrying
Saint Bernard.

I'm starting to get
uncomfortable.

NARRATOR: And that means
getting very cold very fast.

Right now, I don't feel so bad,
but it's changing rapidly.

NARRATOR:
Stage 2.

Once they've
completely chilled out...

Ooh, calamari.

Get the brandy off of him.

[Clink]

NARRATOR:
...the drinking commences.

[Laughs]

NARRATOR: But just 10 minutes
into the test

and the guys get the first piece
of relevant information,

and it's not what you'd expect.

My temperature
has been steadily going up.

It's now at 98.56.
What does yours say?

Yeah, I'm going up, too.
I'm at 98.9.

I haven't read up on this,

but the fact that my internal
body temperature is rising

while I'm feeling
like I'm getting colder

says to me something like my
vascular system is clamping down

on my extremities
and keeping the heat inside.

ADAM: Check out the big brain
on Jamie!

Because he's nailed
one of the key responses

of all endothermic animals
to the cold.

The superficial
blood vessels constrict,

preventing heat loss
through the skin

and directing blood
to critical internal organs.

NARRATOR: With such amazing
evolutionary adaptations,

it could take a while
before the guys need rescuing.

So to hurry things along, they
decide on some drastic action.

I don't think we're getting
cold enough fast enough.

I think we should take off
our hats and unzip our coats.

Subjective testing...
coldness scale, 1 to 10?

Mm, I'm saying
I'm at least about a 2.

ADAM: Yeah, I agree
with that assessment.

Uh, extremities?

Extremities are painful.

My hands are hurting,
my head especially.

NARRATOR:
And the thermal camera,

as well as providing Adam
with entertainment...

ADAM:
[Laughs] Wow, man.

I got to tell you,
with your hat off,

you look like a Bond villain
in this shot.

NARRATOR: Seems to confirm
Jamie's earlier theory.

Despite their stable
core body temperature,

their extremities have plummeted
by over 20 degrees.

Oh, my fingers hurt.

JAMIE:
Okay, your face is 65 degrees.

NARRATOR:
With the numbers noted,

there's just one thing left
to do.

- My ears are starting to sting.
- Yeah.

JAMIE:
Help me, Bob. I'm freezing.

[Piano plays ragtime music]

[Gasps]

We've got a really weird myth
for the viewer special.

Have you ever heard that
a piano can explode in a fire?

No, I have not,
but it does make sense,

because the strings
are under a lot of tension.

Who cares if it makes sense?

We might get to see
a piano explode.

NARRATOR:
Ah, the humble piano.

Tickle its ivories,
and you get beautiful music.

But in a fire, could it turn
from innocent keyboard

into an instrument
of mass destruction?

Well, it sounds
pretty straightforward.

All we need to do
is get a piano,

build a fire under it,
and see if it explodes.

Well, hang on.

I think before we do that,

we need to find out how much
tension the strings are under.

Actually, I know
the perfect people for that.

NARRATOR:
And that perfect piano place...

GRANT:
Ready to get your tune on?

NARRATOR: Is owned
by John Callahan, the piano man.

KARI: So, the myth
that we're working on

is that if you put a piano
in a fire, it will explode.

Wow. I've actually heard people
talk about that before.

Having never burned
a piano myself,

I don't know if that's true.

I'm not sure exactly
what's gonna happen.

To me, it sounds
relatively plausible,

because I understand there's
a lot of tension on the strings.

CALLAHAN: Well, there sure is
a lot of tension on the stings.

In a piano, the steel wire

is stretched across
the cast-iron plate,

and there's about 200 pounds of
tension on each wire, average.

We have about 230 wires
in the piano.

So there's a total
of over 20 tons of force

trying to collapse the piano.

NARRATOR:
Now, that sounds promising.

The strings stretched
across the cast-iron plate

hold 40,000 pounds of pressure.

And if the flames cause them
to fail, hey, presto...

exploding piano.

KARI:
It's always a good day

when you start it
at the b*mb range.

NARRATOR: Callahans
have kindly given the team

a baby grand to ignite.

Now all they have to do...

[Sour chord plays]

...is get it off the truck...

Moving a piano sucks.

NARRATOR:
...and into position.

I'm just gonna do
a little tension music.

NARRATOR: While Kari does some,
you know, actual work,

Tory and Grant serenade her the
only way they know how... badly.

[Off-key]
She's the organ grinder

Grinding organ
all day and night

NARRATOR: With the piano
standing on its own legs,

there's just one thing
left to do... tune it.

All right, John, I know that
tuning a piano at a b*mb range

is probably a pretty strange
working condition for you.

But we need to give this myth

the best possible chance
of working.

We need to get each one of these
strings at the proper tension.

I'll do my best.

NARRATOR: And as John brings
the piano to perfect pitch,

the guys pitch in
to build the bonfire.

GRANT: So, to all
the piano aficionados out there,

I just want to let you know,
we love pianos.

Not enjoying this in the least.

Light it on fire

Light it on fire

Okay, just a little bit.

But this piano was destined
for the dump.

It's not salvageable.

Unfortunately,
it's beyond repair,

so somebody had to do it.

Might as well be us.

NARRATOR: So it's this
baby grand's finale.

But will the meltdown
be a letdown?

TORY:
Run! It's gonna explode!

NARRATOR: Or will it be
a musical mushroom cloud?

TORY:
Piano is definitely on fire.

GRANT: Wow!

TORY:
Hey, that is a nice fire.

NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie
are chillin' out... literally.

- My ears are starting to sting.
- Yeah.

[Barks]

NARRATOR: And at the limit
of their cold-weather endurance,

they need rescuing.

ADAM:
Get the brandy off of him.

NARRATOR: But is
the mythical shot of brandy

- the right way to go?
- ADAM: There we go.

Cheers.

It's good brandy.

NARRATOR: The immediate signs,
at least on a subjective level,

seem to back up the myth.

Yeah, the brandy sort of helped
a little bit.

There's definitely a feeling,
a distinct feeling,

of a warm glow
happening down here.

NARRATOR:
A few minutes after downing

the supposedly lifesaving shots,

the guys rustle up
another set of data.

And although their body
temperature remains stable...

I'm 99. 15.

Mine's 98.6.

NARRATOR: The numbers
for skin temperature

are very interesting.

JAMIE:
Face is 74 degrees.

NARRATOR: Which is an increase
of 9 degrees

from their pre-brandy
temperatures.

Again, the science backs up
the numbers.

Alcohol does in fact dilate
your blood vessels,

leading to flush cheeks and
more blood flow to your skin.

And to find out if this effect
is really helping

- fight off the cold...
- Cheers.

NARRATOR: Another shot
is called for and duly drunk.

[Spits]
I got a hair.

NARRATOR: And once again,
the immediate signs

are that the alcohol has
a positive subjective effect.

ADAM: I'm picturing big,
steaming pans of warm food

and dunking my hands into them.

[Laughs]

I'm going into a delirium

of thinking about what I'll do
once I'm warm.

[Laughs]

NARRATOR: But assuming this is
a life-or-death situation,

maybe improving your mood
isn't a priority.

I can already tell that my
mental faculties are impaired.

[Laughs]
What were we supposed to do?

Left hand. Oh, I'm getting them
wrong, aren't I?

[Laughs]

I don't think, just
from a subjective point of view,

that I'd want to further impair
them with alcohol,

although caring less about the
cold certainly has its merits.

JAMIE:
Yeah, you might do better

by trying to light a small fire
or something like that.

Get shelter.

NARRATOR:
And with that pearl of wisdom,

it's time to gather
the last set of data.

Okay, face... 72 degrees.

NARRATOR:
Again, the thermal camera

shows the guys' skin temperature

to be higher than
or equal to pre-brandy numbers.

ADAM: [Laughs]
Dude, I just can't get over

how funny-looking you look
on the thermal camera.

NARRATOR: But critically,
the same can't be said

for their core body temperature.



NARRATOR: Which is a sudden and
worrying drop of a whole degree.

Although by this point, Adam's
having too much fun to care.

In a few minutes,
I feel like the creature

that's running the Jamie engine
is gonna [Babbles]

And run away
'cause it's too cold.

It's got to find a warmer host.

NARRATOR:
And with that last observation,

it's time to pull the plug, get
warm, and draw some conclusions.

- Can we go now?
- JAMIE: It turns out

that Saint Bernards
carrying brandy is a myth.

Now, If these guys
actually saved anybody's lives,

it would be due
to their body warmth.

'Cause like Bob here,
they're big brutes.

They're really furry, and he's
actually keeping me quite warm.

NARRATOR:
Yep, a shaggy-dog cuddle

is the solution
to this shaggy-dog story.

In summary, alcohol dilates
your vascular system,

which sends blood
to your extremities,

where it loses its warmth.

And as a result, your core
body temperature quickly cools.

You don't mind
if I have a little nip, huh?

[Yelps, barks]

I got to tell you,
right after that second brandy,

I was thinking, "I understand
what this myth is all about,"

'cause I was feeling
pretty fine.

Probably 'cause you didn't care
about the cold so much anymore.

Well, no, alcohol also has
a diluting effect.

My blood was thinning and moving
more towards my extremities,

making me feel more comfortable.

But right after that,
your core body temperature

started to drop like a stone.

Right, which is
precisely the opposite

of what you want to happen
in a freezing-cold situation.

So in the short term,
it might make you feel good,

but ultimately it's
the last thing you want to do.

- Absolutely. This one's busted.
- Busted.

NARRATOR: Kari, Grant, and Tory
love a good, expl*sive bonfire.

So when viewers suggested

that burning a baby grand
might make it explode...

Kerosene

[Piano plays softly]

NARRATOR: They couldn't wait
to fire up...

TORY: Run!

NARRATOR:
...and find out if it was true.

Oh, my God.
That fire's awesome!

NARRATOR: Remember, if
there's any truth to this myth,

the 20 tons of tension
in the strings

has to be suddenly
and explosively released.

KARI:
Seeing a little caving in.

TORY: Maybe it will collapse
on itself.

NARRATOR:
That's the theory.

But as the baby grand slowly but
surely burns down to the ground,

the myth of the exploding piano
goes up in smoke.

GRANT:
Well, no expl*si*n.

In fact, all we see
that's left of the piano

is a smoking hull with a
skeleton of the cast-iron piece.

You can still see some strings,
which is not what I expected.

I thought in all the heat,

strings, which are very thin
compared to the cast iron,

would have been going
bing, bing, bing, bing, bing!

But we didn't hear anything.

TORY: There's no way this thing
will ever explode.

I'm so confident that that's
why I'm this close to the piano.

No matter how much tension
is put on these wires,

they're never gonna explode
and pop.

Because as the wires heat up,

the metal is just gonna expand.

It's just gonna stretch.

So you're never gonna get
the bing, boing, snapping wires,

and you're not gonna get
the exploding piano.

It's just
not physically possible.

NARRATOR:
And that's the key.

Yes, the tension will be
released, but it happens slowly,

as the metal strings expand
in the fire.

And so...

KARI:
This is definitively busted.

- Busted.
- Busted.

NARRATOR:
But hold on.

Aren't they forgetting
something?

KARI: The myth that a piano
will explode in a fire

is completely busted.

But now we want to replicate
the results.

So we're gonna blow a piano up
anyway.

So, J. D., the regular piano
in the fire kind of sucked.

Didn't explode.

But we do have a backup piano
that we can explode.

- What do you have for us?
- What I think you need

is the "Mythbusters Concerto
in C-4."

[Laughs]

All right, J. D.,
this one's for you.

Go, J. D.

Go, J. D.

Fill this piano
with some TNT

Go, J. D.

Go, J. D.

Everybody, now!
Come on!

Go, J. D.

Go, J. D.

Fill this piano
with some TNT

NARRATOR: It's a catchy tune,
and J. D. Hums along

as he tunes the piano for the
"Mythbusters Concerto in C-4."

- All right. You guys ready?
- I'm ready.

- Are you ready?
- Ready.

This is it.
In 3, 2, 1.

NARRATOR: Invented in Italy in


brought to popularity
by Mozart and Beethoven

in the 18th century,

and now, 2008,
exploded by the Mythbusters.

[Cheering]

Now, that's what I call
an exploding piano!

Nice!

Man, one second it was there.
Next second it was gone.

[Laughing]
Look. It's all over the place.

NARRATOR: And because
it's the viewer special,

especially for you,
here's the high-speed encore

of the "Mythbusters Concerto
in C-4."

[Slow music plays]

Rest in pieces!

We wrecked that piano.

This is my '80s rock band.

We all had these
and did this move.

Now, that was cool,
but the myth is still busted.

If your piano is on fire,
it's not gonna explode.

If it's filled with C-4,
well, that's another story.

Looks like this myth

Of the exploding piano

Is bust-e-ed

[Piano plays ragtime music]